Card for Cleaning Printed Media Transport System and Method of Using Same

ABSTRACT

A media transport device is cleaned by using a cleaning substrate that sized and configured to fit within at least a portion of a media travel pathway of the transport device. A locking member may secures the cleaning substrate in a substantially fixed position within the transport device while the transport device is operated. The cleaning substrate also may include scarifying holes that scrape debris from media conveyors of the transport device, and flaps that fit under and clean belts of the transport device. Cleaning the transport device may include opening a section, positioning the cleaning substrate in the section without operating the media conveyors&#39; motor, closing the section and then operating the transport device so that the media conveyors move, contact the cleaning substrate and are cleaned while the cleaning substrate remains substantially fixed within the transport device.

RELATED APPLICATIONS AND CLAIM OF PRIORITY

This patent document claims priority to U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 62/562,640, filed Sep. 25, 2017 (the “'640application”). This patent document also claims priority to, and is acontinuation-in-part of, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/896,336,filed Feb. 14, 2018, which claims priority to the '640 application. Thedisclosures of each priority application are fully incorporated intothis document by reference.

BACKGROUND

Many machines have media transport mechanisms that receive printed mediainto the machine and move the media through one or more sections of themachine to perform various processes on the media. For example, afinancial transaction terminal such as an automated teller machine maydo any or all of the following steps: (i) receive printed currencynotes, checks, receipts, coupons, tickets and other printed media; (ii)align the media to an internal reference; (iii) use a camera and/orother sensors to detect what the media is and/or what is printed on themedia; (iv) apply additional printed markings to the media; and/or (v)move the media to an appropriate shuttle, bin or exit port. The terminalmay perform some or all of these steps, and/or additional steps. Othermachines that include media transport mechanisms include couponprinters, ticket printers, ticket-taking devices and other printed mediahandling systems.

Because printed media can pass through a variety of human hands andenvironmental conditions before it is inserted into a media transportmechanism, printed media often is at least partially coated with dirt,oil and/or other contaminants. When the printed media passes through themedia transport mechanism, the contaminants can transfer from theprinted media to the mechanism's rollers, belts, other conveyors, andother components that contact the printed media. Over time, thesecontaminants can build up and cause the machine to malfunction.

The removal of contaminants from a media transport mechanism is alabor-intensive and, time-consuming process. It requires a technician toopen the device and carefully clean small parts by hand. Many of theseparts are in small, hard-to-reach spaces. Thus, manual cleaning isdifficult, and it is not always effective.

This document describes methods and systems directed to solving some ofthe issues described above, and/or other issues.

SUMMARY

In various embodiments, a method of cleaning a media travel pathway of amedia transport device includes opening a first section of a mediatransport device that includes belts, rollers and/or other mediaconveyors. The method also includes positioning a first cleaningsubstrate in the first section without operating a motor that actuatesthe media conveyors. The method also includes closing the first sectionso that at least some of the media conveyors contact the first cleaningsubstrate. The method also includes operating the motor of the mediatransport device so that the media conveyors move, contact the firstcleaning substrate and are cleaned while the first cleaning substrateremains substantially fixed within the first section of the mediatransport device.

Optionally, opening the first section creates a first portal that is notaccessible during operation of the motor of the media transport device,and placing the first cleaning substrate in the first section comprisesaccessing the section through the first portal. Optionally, the methodalso may include opening the first portal to remove the first cleaningsubstrate from the first section.

Optionally, before opening the first section, the method may includeoperating the motor and, while operating the motor, placing a secondcleaning substrate into a second portal that is accessible duringoperation of the motor so that (i) the second cleaning substrate isreceived into, and moves through the media transport device, and (ii)the second cleaning substrate contacts the media conveyors while thesecond cleaning substrate moves through the media transport device.

Optionally, if the first cleaning substrate includes scarifying holes,the positioning step may include aligning the scarifying holes to atleast some of the media conveyors, such as drive roller/idle rollerpairs.

Optionally, if the first cleaning substrate has multiple alignmentpositions. positioning the first cleaning substrate in the first sectionmay include positioning the first cleaning substrate in a first one ofthe alignment positions, and after operating the media transport devicethe method may include: (i) opening the first section; (ii)repositioning the cleaning substrate to a second position in the firstsection according to a second one of the alignment positions; (iii)closing the first section; and (iv) operating the media transport deviceagain so that at least some of the media conveyors turn, contact thecleaning substrate and are further cleaned while the cleaning substrateremains substantially fixed in the second position.

Optionally, before operating the media transport device, the method mayinclude: (i) opening a second section of the media transport device;(ii) positioning a second cleaning substrate in the second sectionwithout operating the motor; (iii) closing the second section so that atleast some media conveyors in the second section contact the secondcleaning substrate; and (iv) operating the media transport device mayinclude causing the belts or rollers in the second section to turn,contact the second cleaning substrate and be cleaned while the secondcleaning substrate remains substantially fixed within the second sectionof the media transport device.

Optionally, positioning the cleaning substrate in the section mayinclude placing the cleaning substrate in the section and securing thesubstrate within the section by: (a) connecting a locking member of thecleaning substrate to a post of the media transport device; or (b) bythe closing of the first section, causing the second section to applysufficient pressure to the cleaning substrate that the cleaningsubstrate is compressed and held by friction against interior componentsof the first section.

Optionally, positioning the first cleaning substrate in the firstsection may include positioning an opening of the first cleaningsubstrate over a media sensor of the media transport device.

In various embodiments, a method of cleaning a media travel pathway of amedia transport device includes the steps of inserting a cleaningsubstrate into a section of a media transport device. The cleaningsubstrate includes a plurality of scarifying holes. The media transportdevice comprises a plurality of drive roller/idle roller pairs. Themethod includes positioning the cleaning substrate in the section sothat at least a first one of the scarifying holes of the cleaningsubstrate is positioned to contact a drive roller or idle roller of afirst corresponding one of the drive roller/idle roller pairs. Themethod includes operating the media transport device to cause the firstscarifying hole to clean the idle roller of the first correspondingdrive roller/idle roller pair.

Optionally, before the inserting, the method may include opening thesection of the media transport device to form a portal that is notaccessible during operation of the media transport device, and placingthe cleaning substrate in the section comprises accessing the sectionthrough the portal. After operating the media transport device, thesection may be opened and the cleaning substrate may be removed from thesection. Optionally, if the cleaning substrate is configured to have aplurality of alignment positions, positioning the cleaning substrate inthe section may include positioning the cleaning substrate in a firstone of the alignment positions, and after operating the media transportdevice the section may be opened and the cleaning substrate may berepositioned to a second position in the section according to a secondone of the alignment positions in which a second one of the scarifyingholes of the cleaning substrate is positioned to contact a drive rolleror idle roller of a second corresponding one of the drive roller/idleroller pairs. Optionally, before operating the motor, the method mayinclude opening a second section of the media transport device,positioning a second cleaning substrate in the second section withoutoperating the motor, and closing the second section so that at leastsome media conveyors in the second section contact the second cleaningsubstrate. If so, then operating the media transport device alsocomprises causing the media conveyors in the second section to turn,contact the second cleaning substrate and be cleaned while the secondcleaning substrate remains substantially fixed within the second sectionof the media transport device. Optionally, positioning the firstcleaning substrate in the first section comprises securing the cleaningsubstrate within the first section by closing the section and causingthe section to apply sufficient pressure to the cleaning substrate thatthe cleaning substrate is compressed and held by friction againstinterior components of the section. Optionally, positioning the firstcleaning substrate in the section comprises positioning an opening ofthe first cleaning substrate over a media sensor of the media transportdevice.

In various additional embodiments, a method of cleaning a media travelpathway of a media transport device includes inserting a cleaningsubstrate into a section of a media transport device that includes aplurality of media conveyors, positioning the cleaning substrate in thesection so that an opening of the cleaning substrate is positioned overa media sensor of the media transport device, and operating the mediatransport device so that the media conveyors move, contact the firstcleaning substrate and are cleaned while the cleaning substrate remainssubstantially fixed within the first section of the media transportdevice. Before the inserting, the method may include opening the sectionof the media transport device to form a portal that is not accessibleduring operation of the media transport device, and placing the cleaningsubstrate in the section may include accessing the section through theportal. Optionally, after operating the media transport device, themethod may include opening the section and removing the cleaningsubstrate from the section. Optionally, if the cleaning substrate isconfigured to have a plurality of alignment positions, positioning thecleaning substrate in the section may include positioning the cleaningsubstrate in a first one of the alignment positions; and after operatingthe media transport device the method may include opening the section,repositioning the cleaning substrate to a second position in the sectionaccording to a second one of the alignment positions, closing thesection, and operating the media transport device again. Optionally,before operating the motor, the method may include opening a secondsection of the media transport device, positioning a second cleaningsubstrate in the second section without operating the motor, andclo singthe second section so that at least some media conveyors in the secondsection contact the second cleaning substrate. Operating the mediatransport device also may include causing the media conveyors in thesecond section to turn, contact the second cleaning substrate and becleaned while the second cleaning substrate remains substantially fixedwithin the second section of the media transport device. Positioning thecleaning substrate in the section may include securing the cleaningsubstrate within the section by, closing the first section and causingthe section to apply sufficient pressure to the cleaning substrate thatthe cleaning substrate is compressed and held by friction againstinterior components of the section.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A illustrates example components of a media transport system, suchas may exist in a prior art automated teller machine or ticket takingmachine, in block diagram format.

FIG. 1B illustrates an example of an automated teller machine thatincludes the components shown in FIG. 1A.

FIG. 2 illustrates a first example configuration of a cleaning substratewith scarifying holes and locking members.

FIG. 3 illustrates another example configuration of a cleaning substratewith scarifying holes and a locking member.

FIG. 4 illustrates a process by which a cleaning substrate may cleanrollers of a media transport system.

FIG. 5 illustrates a process by which a cleaning substrate may clean abelt of a media transport system.

FIG. 6 illustrates another example configuration of a cleaningsubstrate, with flaps for use in cleaning a belt.

FIG. 7 illustrates how sensors may be used with a cleaning substrate.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of using a cleaningsystem of a type consistent with that shown by way of example in FIGS.2-7.

FIG. 9 illustrates another example of a cleaning substrate, with a rowof extended tabs for cleaning a set of rollers.

FIGS. 10A through 10C illustrate a method of using the substrate of FIG.9.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In this document, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include pluralreferences unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. The term“comprising” means “including, but not limited to.” Similarly, the term“comprises” means “includes, and is not limited to.” Unless definedotherwise, all technical and scientific terms used in this document havethe same meanings as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in theart.

In this document, terms that are descriptive of position such as “upper”and “lower”, “horizontal”, “vertical” and the like are intended toindicate relative positions with respect to the components for whichthose terms are descriptive, and are not intended to be absolute andrequire that the component remain in that absolute position in allconfigurations. Except where specifically stated otherwise, numericdescriptors such as “first”, “second”, etc. are not intended todesignate a particular order, sequence or position in an overall processor schema, but instead are simply intended to distinguish various itemsfrom each other by describing them as a first item, a second item, etc.

The terms “media transport system” and “media transport device” refer toa set of hardware components that are configured to receive printedmedia (i.e., a substrate onto which text and/or graphics have beenprinted) and move the printed media through one or more modules thatperform various processing steps on the printed media, such as positionadjustment, sensing, printing and/or delivery to a final destination.The media may include currency, admission tickets, or other documents. A“currency transport device” or “currency transport system” is a type ofmedia transport device that is configured to process and convey printedfinancial instruments such as currency notes, checks, money orders, banknotes and the like. In this document the term “currency” is intended toinclude actual currency notes or bank notes, as well as other documentsthat are printed financial instruments such as checks and money orders.

In this document the terms “substantially fixed” and “substantiallystationary” refer to objects that do not move through a travel pathwaybut remain within a single location in the travel pathway. An object mayvibrate, flex or even wiggle or be jostled while remaining“substantially fixed” or “substantially stationary” so long as it is notmoving through the media transport system to different positions withinthe travel pathway. The terms “substantially fixed” and “substantiallystationary” therefore include, but are not limited to, completely fixedand stationary positions.

FIG. 1A is a block diagram that illustrates example components of amedia transport system, such as may exist in a prior art automatedteller machine or ticket taking machine. FIG. 1B illustrates an exampleof an automated teller machine that includes the components shown inFIG. 1A. The machine includes a housing 120 that contains the mediatransport system. As shown in FIG. 1B, optionally the housing mayinclude a door 121 and one or more extendible rails 122, shuttles, orother movable mechanisms that may be used to remove at least part of themedia transport system from the housing 120.

The media transport system includes components such as a receiver 111that includes belts, rollers or other conveying mechanisms that willreceive printed media into the system via an opening in the housing. Formedia transport systems that are currency transport systems, thereceived 111 may be referred to as a currency acceptor. The mediatransport system also may include a separator module 112 that includesbelts, rollers or other media conveyor devices that separate stackedprinted media, such as stacked checks or currency notes. In currencytransport systems, such rollers are sometimes referred to as “pickrollers” or “pick wheels.” The media transport system also may includean alignment module 113 that includes belts, rollers or other conveyingmechanisms that will adjust a position of the media with respect to aninternal reference point. The media transport system also may include animaging system 114 with a camera and/or other sensors and associatedprogramming that can detect what the media is and/or what is printed onthe media. The media transport system also may include a transportmodule 115 with one or more belts, rollers or other media conveyors thatwill move the printed media to an appropriate destination 116 such as ashuttle, bin or exit port. The media transport system also may includeother modules, such as a printer that can apply additional printedmarkings to the printed media. The areas within each module throughwhich the printed media passes form a media travel pathway from thereceiver's intake to the final destination.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a cleaning system that includes acleaning substrate 201, which sometimes may be referred to as a cleaningcard, that may be used to clean various components of a media transportsystem such as that shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B. The cleaning substrateincludes a cleaning face 202 (which as shown is an upper face) and anopposing face (not shown, since it is under cleaning face 202) that mayor may not also be a cleaning face. At least one of the cleaning facesmay be coated with a cleaning solution such as a solvent so thatinternal components of the media transport system may be cleaned whenthe components move along or across the cleaning face of the substrate.Example cleaning solutions include isopropyl alcohol, deionized water,alkaline surfactants, and other materials or combinations of these.Alternatively, a cleaning face may be textured or made of fiber thatwill promote friction when a movable object is moved against thecleaning face. The cleaning substrate may be made of a flexible,tear-resistant material such as a fibrous aramid or meta-aramid fabricmaterial such as that marketed under the NOMEX® brand; a cellulosicmaterial; a flexible polymeric substrate provided with thin, non-wovenlayers made of absorbent material such as that marketed under theSONTARA® brand; a sponge made of polyurethane or other type of foam; ora combination of any of these, such as a sponge coated with a fabric,non-woven absorbent or cellulosic material.

The cleaning substrate also includes one or more locking members 203such as holes, slots and/or tabs that are configured to align with (suchas by fitting over or locking into) a stationary component of the mediatransport such as a post. Each locking member 203 is a structure thatwill hold the cleaning substrate 201 in place in a substantially fixedposition within the media travel pathway while moving parts of the mediatransport system pass over or along the cleaning substrate and arecleaned.

In the example shown in FIG. 2, the locking members 203 may be tabs thatextend away from the cleaning face 202 in a direction that isperpendicular to the path of travel of the media transport device. Inthe embodiment shown, each of the tabs may include a receptacle that ispositioned to align with a post of the media transport device. If themedia transport device includes multiple posts, or if the substrateincludes multiple locking members 203 such as in the example shown inFIG. 2, the receptacles of the locking members 203 of FIG. 2 may beplaced over various posts so that the cleaning substrate can be used inmultiple positions in the transport system. In an alternate exampleshown in FIG. 3, the cleaning substrate 301 may include a locking member303 with multiple receptacles 304, 305, each of which is positioned toalign with a post of the media transport device (which may be a singlepost, or multiple posts) so that the cleaning substrate may be alignedin multiple positions within the media travel pathway of the mediatransport system. Another example of locking members will be discussedbelow in the context of FIG. 9.

Alternatively or in addition to a locking member, the cleaning substratemay be held substantially fixed by friction within the media travelpathway when the pathway is closed. This may happen, for example, if thecleaning substrate is at least at thick or thicker than the closed mediatravel pathway so that the cleaning substrate contacts interiorcomponents of the media travel pathway and is held against thosecomponents by friction. A cleaning substrate made of a compressible foamcore and fabric or other abrasive cover may be useful in such anembodiment.

The cleaning substrate has a length and width that is sized and shapedto fit within the media travel pathway of the transport device withwhich the cleaning substrate is intended to be used, and the lockingtabs will be positioned to connect to the posts or other connectingstructures of the transport device with which the cleaning substrate isintended to be used. As used in this document, the term “fit within”does not necessarily mean that the substrate is entirely held within themedia travel pathway, as a locking tab or other relatively small portionof the substrate may extend from the media travel pathway into otherareas of the interior of the transport device. However, in some optionalembodiments the cleaning substrate will be retained completely withinthe media travel pathway. In some optional embodiments, no portion ofthe substrate will extend from a media acceptor port (such as a currencyacceptor slot) of the transport device.

In addition, referring to FIG. 3, the cleaning substrate will includemultiple scarifying holes 312, 313 that are positioned to align over,under, or in between rollers of the media transport device. A scarifyinghole is an opening created and positioned to provide a scraping edgeagainst which another item may be scraped so that debris or othercontaminants on the item's surface are scraped and thus removed viamovement of the hole, the item or both. Referring to FIG. 4, thesubstrate 401 includes a scarifying hole 411 sized and positioned to fitbetween an idle roller 423 and drive roller 425 of the media transportsystem. In normal operation when the media transport system receivesprinted media, the drive roller 425 presses against the media, and amotor turns the drive roller 425 to move the media through the mediatravel pathway. The idle roller 423 is positioned proximate to the driveroller 425 to serve as a backstop for the force of the drive roller 425.The printed media passes between the idle roller 423 and drive roller425. In a cleaning operation, the drive roller 425 is activated but thecleaning substrate remains stationary, anchored in the transport path bythe locking structure(s). The scarifying hole 411 receives the idleroller 423 and/or the drive roller 425 so that one or both rollersscrape along the edges of the scarifying hole 411 and are thus cleaned.In configurations that only use a drive roller without an idle roller,the drive roller may be received into the scarifying hole.

The drive rollers and/or idle rollers of other drive roller 435/idleroller 433 pairs that are not aligned with the scarifying hole 411 willbe wiped by the cleaning substrate. Then, when the cleaning substrate ismoved to a different stationary position in the media transport path(and a different locking member receptacle or media transport systempost is used to lock the cleaning substrate in the different position)the other drive roller 435/idle roller 433 pair may be aligned with thescarifying hole 411 or a different scarifying hole in the substrate.

Scarifying holes also may be sized and positioned to align with andaccept one or more belts or other moving parts of the media travelpathway. For example, referring to FIG. 5, one or more axles 522, whenactivated, turn a belt 525 while the cleaning substrate remainsstationary in the media travel pathway. If the scarifying hole has awidth that smaller than, or at least no greater than, the width of thebelt 525, the belt 525 will be scraped by the scarifying hole 511 andwiped by the cleaning substrate 501. In addition, if the scarifying hole511 is positioned to align with the axle 522, the axle 522 may help pusha segment of the belt 525 into the scarifying hole 511 to promotescraping of the belt 525 along the edge of the scarifying hole 511.

FIG. 6 illustrates an alternative to FIG. 5 in which, as an alternativeto (or in addition to) a scarifying hole, a belt scraper is formed byone or more inwardly-facing flaps 618 a, 618 b that may be lifted upwardor pressed downward so that the belt may be placed under or over eachflap. Each flap 618 a, 618 b will have at least one side that isattached to the cleaning substrate and at least one edge that is formedby an angled or curved cut into the substrate so that the flap can belifted or pressed and receive the belt. The edge may be a single curvededge as shown, or multiple angled edges may be used. As the belt isoperated, the cut-away edge of the flap will scrape the belt. The faceof the cleaning substrate also may wipe the belt. In addition, bothsides of the belt may brush across the cleaning surface of the substrateand the flap as the belt passes over the substrate and under the flap(or over the flap and under the substrate). This may result in thedeposit of dirt, oil or other contaminants 634 on the cleaningsubstrate, as shown in FIG. 6. Optionally, the flaps 618 a, 618 b may beadjacent to a scarifying hole 611. In some embodiments, the flaps 618 a,618 b may serve as locking members to hold the cleaning substrate in asubstantially fixed position by contact with the belts during operation.The embodiment of FIG. 6 also illustrates an embodiment with additionallocking members 603 that are each an inwardly-facing slot into which apost of the media transport system may be placed.

Referring to FIG. 7, in some embodiments scarifying holes or otheropenings 711 of the cleaning substrate 701 also may be sized andpositioned to align with one or more media sensors 722 within the mediatravel pathway. Such a sensor 722 may include a pressure sensor, anoptical sensor, a temperature sensor, and/or any other sensor that isavailable in the media transport system and configured to detectplacement of media (such as a cleaning card or currency) into the deviceand may, in some embodiments, include a transmitter 723 a and receiver723 b as is shown in FIG. 7. The media transport device may use thesensor 722 to detect the position of the cleaning substrate 701 withinthe media travel pathway (e.g., based on pressure or optical datadetermine whether the sensor is over a scarifying hole). In addition, insome media transport systems one or more sensors 722 may be used todetect whether the device is jammed and media is not moving through themedia travel pathway. If so, the placement of an opening 711 such asensor can help avoid the media transport system stopping. The openingmay be a hole in the cleaning substrate, or a transparent section of thecleaning substrate made of a clear material such as clear plastic, or apolyester film such as that sold under the MYLAR® brand. The sensor candetect whether or not the cleaning substrate is in a proper cleaningposition, rather than mis-aligned or jammed, because if the opening 711not been positioned under the sensor 722, the sensor 722 would havedetected the presence of the non-moving substrate and thus detected thatthe cleaning substrate is not moving through the device.

Referring back to FIG. 2, in some embodiments one or more of thescarifying holes 211 may include a scraper 217 that is attached to oneor more edges of the scarifying hole. The scraper 217 extends inwardlytoward the center of the scarifying hole 211. Referring to FIG. 4,depending on whether the alignment of the scraper 417 is positionedcloser to an upper face, closer to a lower face, or centrally within thescarifying hole, the scraper may provide additional scraping forceagainst the idle roller 423 and/or the drive roller 425.

Referring back to FIG. 3, in some embodiments the cleaning substrate 301may include any number of forward-facing or reverse-facing flaps 327,shown here as forward-facing flaps formed by cuts made into the cleaningsubstrate 301, that are positioned along a forward-facing edge (i.e.,facing the direction of media travel in the media travel pathway) of thecleaning substrate. The flap 327 can be sized and positioned to fitwithin a slot of the media transport device to help retard forward orreverse movement of the cleaning substrate 301 in the media travelpathway and further anchor the cleaning substrate 301 in a stationaryposition during the cleaning operation. FIG. 6 illustrates anotherembodiment in which the forward-facing flap 627 is not on a leading edgeof the substrate but instead is on a forward-facing edge of within anopening 628 within the cleaning substrate. The flap 627 also may, insome embodiments, serve as or be part of a locking member.

In various embodiments, a cleaning system may include multiple cleaningsubstrates that are sized, shaped, and which contain scarifying holesand locking structure to align within different modules of the mediatransport system. For example, a first cleaning substrate 201 such asthat shown in FIG. 2 may be placed within the alignment module of amedia transport device while the device is idle, and a second cleaningsubstrate 301 such as that shown in FIG. 3 may be placed within thereceiving module of the media transport device while the device is idle.The media transport device may then be operated, and each of the moduleswill be cleaned at the same time.

FIG. 9 illustrates an additional embodiment of a cleaning substrate 901that includes a set of locking members 923 a . . . 923 n that are tabsthat extend downward (or upward) in a direction that is between about45° and about 90° from the cleaning substrate, configured in row to bereceived by a set of rollers (such as picker rollers) in the mediatransport device. These tabs may have a thickness that, whenuncompressed, is substantially equal to or larger than the thickness ofa space between the rollers and their next adjacent component. Thus, inthis embodiments the locking members 923 a . . . 923 n both hold thecleaning substrate in place and also serve to clean the rollers when therollers are turned. In this embodiment and in other embodimentsdiscussed above and below, the turning of the roller may be donemanually, or by operation of a motor of the media transport device.

Optionally, cleaning substrate 901 may include a second face 905 withadditional locking members 903 a, 903 b that extend away from the sidesthe cleaning substrate in a direction that is perpendicular to thedirection of media travel in the media travel pathway. Theseside-extended locking members 903 a, 903 b may include openings thatwill fit over posts or other extended elements that are not in the mediapathway. Alternatively, the side-extended locking members 903 a, 903 bmay include no receptacle but have a thickness (when not compressed)that is thicker than that of the media travel pathway when closed sothat the locking members will be held by the media transport device byfriction when the device is closed. The second face 905 of the substratemay serve as a handle to hold and place the substrate into the mediatravel pathway.

As shown in FIG. 9, when manufactured the cleaning substrate 901 may besubstantially flat, and locking members be formed as locking tabs 923 a. . . 923 n cut into a first cleaning face 904 of the substrate 901.

FIGS. 10A through 10C shows a method of using the cleaning substrate ofFIG. 9. FIG. 10A shows that when placed into the media travel pathway ofthe media transport device 950, the cleaning substrate may be folded sothat the locking tabs 923 a . . . 923 n extend downward (oralternatively upward) from the first and second faces 904, 905 in a row.As shown in the close-up of FIG. 10B the locking tabs 923 a . . . 923 nwill be received by corresponding rollers 951 a . . . 951 n of the mediatravel pathway. After the locking tabs 923 a . . . 923 n are placedagainst their corresponding rollers 951 a . . . 951 n, the cleaningfaces 904, 905 may be folded down onto the media travel pathway. Lockingmembers 903 a, 903 b may be placed over posts or other receivers of thepathway. Optionally, the cleaning substrate 901 may include one or morefold lines 920, formed by score lines or crease lines in the substrate,to assist in and help enable folding and positioning the substrate inplace in the media travel pathway.

FIG. 9 also shows that the cleaning substrate 901 optionally may includescarifying holes 911 a . . . 911 n that are configured to be placedbetween pairs of drive and idle rollers inside of the media transportdevice. The scarifying holes 911 a . . . 911 n may be positioned forwardof the locking tabs 923 a . . . 923 n in the media pathway (i.e., towarda front end of the card that faces the path of travel in the mediatravel pathway), or in the opposite direction (i.e., toward a rear endof the card that faces away from the path of travel). The scarifyingholes 911 a . . . 911 n may be positioned in a first row across the faceof the cleaning substrate 901 while the locking tabs 923 a . . . 923 nmay be positioned in a second row across the face of the cleaningsubstrate 901. Although not shown in FIG. 9 or 10A-10C, the cleaningsubstrate 901 also may include one or more openings (holes or clearmaterial) that are positioned to fit over a media sensor of the mediatransport device. Any cleaning face of the cleaning substrate 901 alsomay include or be coated or treated with a cleaning solution.

In some embodiments, in any of the embodiments described above thecleaning face(s) of the cleaning substrate may be textured to provideadditional cleaning function (e.g., by applying friction to belts thatpass over the cleaning substrate). The cleaning face(s) also may includea material such as a meshed loop structure that entangles dirt to trapit.

FIG. 8 illustrates a method of using a cleaning system such as thatdescribed above. The method includes opening the media transport deviceto form a portal into which a first cleaning substrate may be placed(step 801). The portal will be a portal that is not accessible duringnormal operation of the device. For example, the portal will not be acurrency acceptor slot that is used during normal operation to insertcurrency into the media transport device. Instead, the portal will beformed by opening one or more of the modules that form the media travelpathway. The cleaning substrate will be inserted into a media travelpathway of the media transport device through the portal, and thecleaning substrate will be placed into a fixed position withoutoperating the motor that actuates the media conveyors (i.e., beltsand/or rollers) of the media transport device (step 802).

In some embodiments, the media transport device may detect that acleaning substrate has been placed into the media travel pathway, and ifso it may automatically change its mode of operation to a cleaning moderather than a normal operating mode. The cleaning mode may differ fromthe normal mode in that, for example, it may hold the cleaning substratein a particular location for a defined period of time before moving thesubstrate to a next section, or it may adjust the pressure applied tothe substrate, or it may override a “device jam” alert and permit themedia conveyors to turn even though the cleaning substrate is not movingthrough the machine in a normal mode of operation. Detection that thesubstrate is a cleaning substrate may occur by any suitable means, suchas by manual input, by detecting a shape of the substrate, or by usingimage processing to detect a code or other identifying indicia that isprinted on the substrate.

If the cleaning substrate includes scarifying holes, the scarifyingholes may be aligned to rollers, belts, sensors and/or other selectedcomponents of the media transport device that are in the media travelpathway. If the cleaning substrate includes one more flaps for cleaninga belt, one or more belts may be positioned over or under the flap(s).If the cleaning substrate includes one or more locking members, thelocking member(s) may be aligned with post(s), roller(s) or othercomponents that will hold the locking members while the cleaningsubstrate is within the media travel pathway. If the cleaning substrateincludes a latching flap, the latching flap may be placed within a slotin the media travel pathway.

A first section of the media transport device will thus receive thecleaning substrate through the portal. The cleaning substrate may remainfully within the media travel pathway. Alternatively, a portion of thecleaning substrate may extend out from the media travel pathway, such asthrough a currency acceptor slot, so long as enough of the cleaningsubstrate remains within the pathway to provide a cleaning function.

Optionally, one or more additional cleaning substrates may be placedinto additional sections of the media travel pathway of the mediatransport device (step 803) as described above.

The portal to the first section will then be closed (step 804) so thatat least some of the belts or rollers contact the first cleaningsubstrate. The media transport device will then be operated so that amotor of the device causes the belts or rollers to move, contact thefirst cleaning substrate and be cleaned while the first cleaningsubstrate remains substantially fixed within the first section of themedia transport device (step 805). In some situations, operation of themedia transport device may be manual operation of the belts or rollers(e.g., manually turning them). After operation, the device may then beturned off (e.g., powered down or moved to an idle mode in which thebelts and rollers of the media travel pathway are not operated), andportal(s) will be opened to remove the cleaning substrate(s) from themedia travel pathway (step 807).

Optionally, before opening the first section and placing the cleaningsubstrate through the portal, the method may include operating the mediatransport device and, while operating the motor, placing a secondcleaning substrate (step 810) that includes a cleaning solution into asecond portal that is accessible during operation of the motor so thatthe second cleaning card is received into, and moves through the mediatransport device, and the cleaning solution contacts the belts orrollers while the second cleaning substrate moves through the mediatransport device. In this way, cleaning solution may be applied to themedia travel pathway before the stationary card is inserted, and thestationary card may then require little or no cleaning solution. Thisalso may help pre-clean the components of the media travel pathwaybefore the stationary cleaning substrates are inserted.

Optionally, after operating the media transport device so that the beltsor rollers turn, contact the first cleaning substrate and are cleaned(step 805), the method may include opening the portal to expose accessto a section of media travel pathway and repositioning the cleaningsubstrate to a second position in the section according to a secondalignment positions (step 806). That portal may then be closed, and themedia transport device will be again operated so that at least some ofthe belts or rollers turn, contact the cleaning substrate and arefurther cleaned while the cleaning substrate remains substantially fixedin the second position.

The methods and systems described above may result in significant timesavings as compared to manual cleaning. In addition, they can helpensure that cleaning occurs in small and/or hard-to-reach segmentswithin the media transport device.

The features and functions described above, as well as alternatives, maybe combined into many other different systems or applications. Variousalternatives, modifications, variations or improvements may be made bythose skilled in the art, each of which is also intended to beencompassed by the disclosed embodiments.

1. A method of cleaning a media travel pathway of a media transportdevice, comprising: opening a first section of a media transport devicethat includes a plurality of media conveyors that comprise belts,rollers or both; positioning a first cleaning substrate in the firstsection without operating a motor that, when operated, will actuate themedia conveyors; closing the first section so that at least some of thebelts or rollers contact the first cleaning substrate; and operating amotor of the media transport device so that the media conveyors move,contact the first cleaning substrate and are cleaned while the firstcleaning substrate remains substantially fixed within the first sectionof the media transport device.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein:opening the first section creates a first portal that is not accessibleduring operation of the motor of the media transport device; and placingthe first cleaning substrate in the first section comprises accessingthe first section through the first portal.
 3. The method of claim 1,further comprising opening the first section and removing the firstcleaning substrate from the first section.
 4. The method of claim 3,further comprising, before opening the first section: operating themotor; and while operating the motor, placing a second cleaningsubstrate into a second portal that is accessible during operation ofthe motor so that: the second cleaning substrate is received into thesecond portal and is conveyed by the media conveyors through the mediatransport device, and the second cleaning substrate contacts and cleansthe belts or rollers while the second cleaning substrate moves throughthe media transport device.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein: the firstcleaning substrate comprises a plurality of scarifying holes; andpositioning the first cleaning substrate in the first section comprisesaligning the scarifying holes to at least some of the belts or rollers.6. The method of claim 1, wherein: the first cleaning substrate isconfigured to have a plurality of alignment positions; positioning thefirst cleaning substrate in the first section comprises positioning thefirst cleaning substrate in a first one of the alignment positions; andthe method further comprises, after operating the media transport deviceso that the belts or rollers turn, contact the first cleaning substrateand are cleaned: opening the first section, repositioning the firstcleaning substrate to a second position in the first section accordingto a second one of the alignment positions, closing the first section,and operating the motor of the media transport device again so that atleast some of the media conveyors move, contact the first cleaningsubstrate and are further cleaned while the cleaning substrate remainssubstantially fixed in the second alignment position.
 7. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising: before operating the motor: opening asecond section of the media transport device, positioning a secondcleaning substrate in the second section without operating the motor,and closing the second section so that at least some media conveyors inthe second section contact the second cleaning substrate; whereinoperating the media transport device also comprises causing the mediaconveyors in the second section to turn, contact the second cleaningsubstrate and be cleaned while the second cleaning substrate remainssubstantially fixed within the second section of the media transportdevice.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein positioning the first cleaningsubstrate in the first section comprises securing the first cleaningsubstrate within the first section by connecting a locking member of thefirst cleaning substrate to a post of the media transport device.
 9. Themethod of claim 1, wherein positioning the first cleaning substrate inthe first section comprises securing the first cleaning substrate withinthe first section by, when closing the first section, causing the firstsection to apply sufficient pressure to the first cleaning substratethat the first cleaning substrate is compressed and held by frictionagainst interior components of the first section.
 10. The method ofclaim 1, wherein positioning the first cleaning substrate in the firstsection comprises positioning an opening of the first cleaning substrateover a media sensor of the media transport device.
 11. A method ofcleaning a media travel pathway of a media transport device, comprisinginserting a cleaning substrate into a section of a media transportdevice, wherein the cleaning substrate includes a plurality ofscarifying holes, and wherein the media transport device comprises aplurality of drive roller/idle roller pairs; positioning the cleaningsubstrate in the section so that at least a first one of the scarifyingholes of the cleaning substrate is positioned to contact a drive rolleror an idle roller of a first corresponding one of the drive roller/idleroller pairs; and operating the media transport device, which causes thefirst scarifying hole to clean the idle roller of the firstcorresponding drive roller/idle roller pair.
 12. The method of claim 11,further comprising: before the inserting, opening the section of themedia transport device to form a portal that is not accessible duringoperation of the media transport device, wherein placing the cleaningsubstrate in the section comprises accessing the section through theportal.
 13. The method of claim 12, further comprising, after operatingthe media transport device, opening the section and removing thecleaning substrate from the section.
 14. The method of claim 11,wherein: the cleaning substrate is configured to have a plurality ofalignment positions; positioning the cleaning substrate in the sectioncomprises positioning the cleaning substrate in a first one of thealignment positions; and the method further comprises, after operatingthe media transport device: opening the section, repositioning thecleaning substrate to a second position in the section according to asecond one of the alignment positions in which a second one of thescarifying holes of the cleaning substrate is positioned to contact adrive roller or idle roller of a second corresponding one of the driveroller/idle roller pairs, closing the section, and operating the mediatransport device again so that the second scarifying hole cleans theidle roller of the second corresponding drive roller/idle roller pair.15. The method of claim 11, further comprising: before operating themotor: opening a second section of the media transport device,positioning a second cleaning substrate in the second section withoutoperating the motor, and closing the second section so that at leastsome media conveyors in the second section contact the second cleaningsubstrate; wherein operating the media transport device also comprisescausing the media conveyors in the second section to turn, contact thesecond cleaning substrate and be cleaned while the second cleaningsubstrate remains substantially fixed within the second section of themedia transport device.
 16. The method of claim 11, wherein positioningthe cleaning substrate in the section comprises securing the cleaningsubstrate within the section by, closing the first section and causingthe section to apply sufficient pressure to the cleaning substrate thatthe cleaning substrate is compressed and held by friction againstinterior components of the section.
 17. The method of claim 11, whereinpositioning the cleaning substrate in the section comprises positioningan opening of the cleaning substrate over a media sensor of the mediatransport device.
 18. A method of cleaning a media travel pathway of amedia transport device, comprising: inserting a cleaning substrate intoa section of a media transport device that includes a plurality of mediaconveyors; positioning the cleaning substrate in the section so that anopening of the cleaning substrate is positioned over a media sensor ofthe media transport device; and operating the media transport device sothat the media conveyors move, contact the first cleaning substrate andare cleaned while the cleaning substrate remains substantially fixedwithin the first section of the media transport device.
 19. The methodof claim 18, further comprising: before the inserting, opening thesection of the media transport device to form a portal that is notaccessible during operation of the media transport device, whereinplacing the cleaning substrate in the section comprises accessing thesection through the portal.
 20. The method of claim 19, furthercomprising, after operating the media transport device, opening thesection and removing the cleaning substrate from the section.
 21. Themethod of claim 18, wherein: the cleaning substrate is configured tohave a plurality of alignment positions; positioning the cleaningsubstrate in the section comprises positioning the cleaning substrate ina first one of the alignment positions; and the method furthercomprises, after operating the media transport device: opening thesection, repositioning the cleaning substrate to a second position inthe section according to a second one of the alignment positions,closing the section, and operating the media transport device again. 22.The method of claim 18, further comprising: before operating the motor:opening a second section of the media transport device, positioning asecond cleaning substrate in the second section without operating themotor, and closing the second section so that at least some mediaconveyors in the second section contact the second cleaning substrate;wherein operating the media transport device also comprises causing themedia conveyors in the second section to turn, contact the secondcleaning substrate and be cleaned while the second cleaning substrateremains substantially fixed within the second section of the mediatransport device.
 23. The method of claim 18, wherein positioning thecleaning substrate in the section comprises securing the cleaningsubstrate within the section by, closing the first section and causingthe section to apply sufficient pressure to the cleaning substrate thatthe cleaning substrate is compressed and held by friction againstinterior components of the section.